I’m a professional investor. I work as an analyst. Everyday I see examples of how people who make a ton of money more than I make are the ones who drive our economy, even in recessions. Yes, even in recessions. I have yet to see evidence that government grows the economy.

I think I should get some f___ing respect in this opinion, since I used to be a Marxist years ago. I know how the other side thinks even when they are not thinking (or aware of what they are thinking). These people are amateurs and they know nothing of the real world, socialist or free market. They would screw up both – they are that incompetent. Rent seekers all of them. They add zero value to our economy. They are parasites.

“Cooper does raise some okay points: The current tea party folks do have representation. The tea parties don’t have a coherent alternative economic plan.”

That’s not true really. That’s accepting the Obama-esq framing that there has to be ‘a plan’. Whereas no majority of economists actually ever agreed with Obama that the government has a role here or that Keynesian economic style stimulus even can work (under any scenarios). My plan is to not do economic stimulus… because Keynesian economics don’t work… and it quickly descends into pork, payoffs, and/or corruption in the name of stimulus spending (all of which can hamper a recovery… since a bigger and more corrupt government is a bigger parasite on the private sector). Calling that ‘not having a plan’ is spin. I’d say it’s my reasoned decision to not pursue stimulus spending. This dem spin is right down there with saying I’m anti science for wanting morality to be involved in science funding decisions (re: typical Obama partisan language games… while claiming to not be partisan…).

“I earned the income both working for a company and then through unemployment. I paid taxes on the unemployment. I was the renter, I collected no income through renting to someone else.”

Wow. Good to know, glad you brought it up. I have to fill out a 1040ez for my 3 year old (she’s late paying taxes at this age, a good start… she can probably work in a future dem presidential admin). I’ll have to check out the actual tables when I do it / have the stuff in hand.

(She did some extra work on a commercial and got a W2 of her own.)

I earned the income both working for a company and then through unemployment. I paid taxes on the unemployment. I was the renter, I collected no income through renting to someone else.

Because I am a single renter, I do not qualify for the long form, so no deductions. That is the case for every employed, low income, single renter. I imagine there are millions of us. We do pay taxes, there is no avoiding it.

It’s bogus that the poor do not pay taxes, I’m living proof of that not being the case. The % of total taxes collected from the top echelons is too much but that is because the amount the government ‘needs’ is too much.

Congress refuses to live within a budget because either the military and/or the entitlement programs must be cut back and neither side will give an inch.

No, just normal cluelessness. To have a major disagreement you have to have understanding.

Cooper does raise some okay points: The current tea party folks do have representation. The tea parties don’t have a coherent alternative economic plan.

The rest of Coopers points are crap. But it is unfair of Neo to point this out. With the whole web to choose from, there is no bottom to the “worst of the web”. You can always find some good juicy idiocy to use as a straw man. Actually finding some is not an accomplishment.

Our civil liberties have been eroded by political correctness, which endeavors to label any undesired commentary as “hate speech.” (For example, anyone who is less than adulatory toward the Messiah is almost certain to be accused of racism.)

That erosion has taken place slowly, over years, and we’ve come to accept it. But now the socialists are making a grab for power through seizing control of the economy. No longer content to advance their agenda through the laughable global warming ploy (“the government has to control the economy – it’s for the children!”), they’re grabbing for the brass ring by manipulating tax policy.

That’s the issue, and why it matters.

Agreed. Nyom thinks all that is so unimportant and uninteresting….

Good for him for stating it so bluntly. At least I know where he/she is coming from.

I care.

He/She doesn’t.

Then we had a liberal infestation set in like cockroaches (no offense intended – to cockroaches, that is) from the East Coast.

What used to be one of the wealthiest states, with superb public education and reasonable taxes, has become a financial basket case with lousy public education, sky-high taxes, and lots of social ills.

But we have a legislature packed with liberal Democrats (unremovable, because they successfully gerrymandered their districts), and lots of feel-good liberal programs to cater to the downtrodden, the work-shy, the druggies, the public service unions, and the criminally-inclined – in short, all the core Democrat constituencies.

Govt IS the problem. It’s changes in tax code has an effect on misery, unemployment, business cycles, etc.

CA has long been with a higher unemployment rate and takes more from it’s citizens.

We have 50 laboratories. It’s an incredible expirement were Texas is doing VERY well and states like CA could learn from Texas.

And guess what? I’m not talking about one or two bad years here. I’m talking two to three decades.

Empirical